Tbilisi. On 29 March, the national conference “Closer to People – Stronger Civil Society” was held in Tbilisi. The conference was organized by the ‘Civil Society Sustainability Initiative’ and the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Georgian National Platform, and with the support of the European Union, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Government of Georgia. More than 250 representatives of civil society and various government agencies discussed the role of the civil society in implementing the reform agenda under the association agreement with the EU. The main focus of the conference was regional development. The conference was welcomed by the Prime-minister of Georgia, Mr. Mamuka Bakhtadze and the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia, Mr. Carlo Natale. Parallel to the conference, more than 130 organizations from all over Georgia had an opportunity to exhibited their activities and promote their work. Ten regional journalists working in ten regions of Georgia were awarded special price for their professional support to local civil societies.

Samtskhe-Javakheti.  Carl Hartzell - Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia met the representatives of CSOs operating in Samtskhe-Javakheti region. At the meeting ambassador got to know to the problems and challenges facing the region and the situations regarding to the work of civil society. The meeting was held within the framework of the project ,,Civil Society Sustainability Initiative – Georgia” and was organized by the Union of Democrat Meskhs, Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS).

Tbilisi. Do you want to know more about the attitudes of the population and business entities of Georgia towards civil society organizations and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes? Here are the main findings of the surveys conducted by the CRRC-Georgia in the framework of the "Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative" project: 1.    "Attitudes of the Population of Georgia towards Civil Society Organisations, European Integration and Business Entities"  See more… 2.    "BUSINESSES IN GEORGIA: Attitudes towards Corporate Social Responsibility and Civil Society Organizations" See more… ”Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative” was developed and is implemented by the consortium lead by the Konrad­-Adenauer­-Stiftung in cooperation with four Georgian Civil Society Organizations: Civil Society Institute (CSI), Center for Training and Consultancy (CTC), Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) and Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC). The project is funded by the European Union and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Kakheti. On 12 - 14 December, representatives of civil society organizations from 6 Eastern Partnership countries as well as international and transnational actors involved in the civil society promotion gathered in Lopota, Kakheti to discuss current objectives of the civil society development. Three major topics were addressed during the workshop: spaces and roles for civil society to engage in transformation of respective societies; structures and mechanisms of investing in and promoting of civil societies; reinventing and giving a new leaf of live to the regional dimensions, such as the Eastern Partnership. The findings of the workshop will be structured as a policy document and available for further public discussions. The workshop was organized in the framework of the project - “Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative” - funded by the European Union #EU and co-funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung